The McLean & Dickey Orillia Terriers skated to a hard-fought 5-1 victory over Huntsville in Game 1 of their first-round best-of-seven Provincial Junior Hockey League playoff series Tuesday night at Rotary Place.
The Terriers played with an immediate sense of urgency, rushing the Otters' zone off the opening face-off and jumping on the scoreboard just 49 seconds into the game. It was forward Marcus Petroff who split the Otters’ defence and drove to the net to make it 1-0 for the home side.
"For me, personally, I always want to step up my game in playoffs," said Petroff, who only had seven goals in the regular season. "I think I did just that tonight and will continue to do so."
The Otters found their footing 15 minutes later when forward Jacob Jennings scored while pressing the Terriers in the other end of the rink.
The Terriers reversed the pressure three minutes later when trade deadline acquisition Josh Presley threw the puck on goal from beside, but almost behind the net. It slipped past Otters’ goalie Darian Willis, giving the Terriers a one-goal lead heading into the dressing room.
"I was just trying to get a shot on net," Presley said. "I didn't think it was going to go in but I'm glad it did."
Presley says he loves contributing to his new team, especially in the biggest moments.
"Playing with these guys has been amazing," he said. "It's fun to be able to contribute for them. I couldn't be happier."
The Terriers extended their grip on the lead in the second, scoring two unanswered goals. Three minutes in, forward Aiden Randell drove to the slot from beside the net and chipped the puck over Willis’ pads.
Both teams spent the second period sending a flurry of players to the penalty box, but only the Terriers would cash in.
With mere seconds left on the clock, captain Dylan Palomaki collected the puck from forward Mason Beck who won an attacking zone face-off, and then dished it to defenceman Lucas Wessinger who flicked it past Willis from the point for the power play marker.
The Terriers went into the final frame with a 4-1 lead. The frustrated Otters brought the physicality, but the home team remained poised in front of their 220 fans in attendance on Tuesday night.
Seven minutes into the third, a turnover at the blue line forced the Otters to defend a two-on-one. Forward Devon Edmonds sauced the pass cross-crease to forward Noah Mountain who taped the puck past Willis.
In the dying minutes of the game, Petroff laid a massive open ice hit on Jennings.
"Earlier in the game he got me with a crosscheck right on the Adam's apple," Petroff explained. "I saw him right on our blue line and I knew he didn't see me coming. I got a lot of speed and hit him good and clean on the shoulder and he went flying."
The hit sparked both teams to engage in a pushing and shoving match. It also sent Petroff to the penalty box for a ten-minute head contact penalty.
"I honestly thought I got him on his right shoulder," Petroff said. "You are obviously going to have head contact because I ran at him pretty hard, but I thought it was clean for the most part for sure."
Petroff says the Terriers are used to the Otters' "chippy" style of play.
"They've always played very physical for the coach they have there," he said. "We have to stay disciplined, but if they are coming, we have to tense up and give it right back to them, especially in the playoffs."
The Terriers would finish the period playing defensively sound in front of goaltender Aidan Jerry, who stopped 26 of 27 shots on goal. Jerry says the locker room had a nervous energy before Game 1.
"I think everybody had a little bit of butterflies," Jerry said. "Once you get that first shift under your belt it's just another hockey game."
Palomaki says the Terriers aren't counting out the Otters despite the blowout victory in Game 1.
"We have to take it one game at a time," he said. "We are going to forget that we won tonight and come to every game the same way we did in Game 1."
The Terriers head to Huntsville for Game 2 on Friday night. Game 3 brings the series back to Orillia on Saturday night. Game time is 7:30 p.m. at Rotary Place in west Orillia.
Palomaki hopes to see more Orillia hockey fans in the crowd on Saturday to support the team.
"When the fans come out it brings the atmosphere up ten notches," he said. "We hear them every shot, hit, and save. It's huge having them out for sure."
